Penn men's soccer senior goalkeeper Scott Forbes set a new career-high with 11 saves, but he couldn't shut Cornell out to preserve the draw.
Credit: Chase SuttonOver 230 miles separate Penn and Cornell, but in a conference clash in men’s soccer on Saturday, the two schools felt way closer.
The Quakers came into the game not allowing an opponent to score in their last two games. They hoped to keep this streak alive, but sometimes the game doesn't go as planned.
The Red and Blue lost their second game this season and first in conference play, falling 1-0 to the Big Red in double overtime. The game’s lone goal came from the Big Red’s freshman Emeka Eneli in the 103rd minute.
The Quakers (2-2-3, 0-1 Ivy) had opportunities throughout the match but were unable to convert. In the 28th minute, sophomore forward Jake Kohlbrenner crossed the ball to sophomore midfielder Joey Bhangdia for a well-placed shot. Cornell's goalie, Ryan Shellow, came up big and kept the game scoreless. Again in the 73rd minute, senior defender Erumuse Momoh had a chance as he sprinted down the left sideline with the intention of crossing the ball, but yet again Shellow came up big for the Big Red as he intercepted the cross.
The Red and Blue were out-shot 18-8 in the match but senior goalkeeper Scott Forbes was able to keep Cornell (7-2, 1-0) scoreless for most of the game. Cornell controlled the ball for most of the match, but Forbes proved he was up to the test as he was able to force the game into double overtime.
Going into the game on Saturday, Forbes had a .587 goals against average, which ranked 17th in the nation. He was undoubtedly the star for Penn on Saturday, as he came away with 11 saves, a new career best.
One of his many saves of the day came in the 38th minute of the game when he dove out of the cage to make three back-to-back-to-back saves to keep the game scoreless.
The defensive unit as a whole played well, as they forced many Cornell players to shoot wide or to not be able to get a shot off.
In the 94th minute Cornell was awarded a corner but Penn was able to clear the ball away with a header from Momoh.
In the 103rd minute, the Big Red had a corner kick, and the ball banged around near the goal until it reached Eneli at the top of the box. He then fired a low shot at the right corner of the goal to put it past Forbes and give Cornell the win.
The Quakers will hope to rebound from this loss when they play in conference opponent Columbia on Oct. 6th at home on Rhodes Field.
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